MACNAIR’S DEBUTS THIRD BATCH OF 10-YEAR-OLD LUM REEK

MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits, a brand led by celebrated blender Billy Walker, today releases the next iteration of its decade-old Scotch: Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 3.

MacNair’s Scotch whisky arm, Lum Reek, is named after the traditional Scottish toast to a long and healthy life, ‘lang may yer lum reek’, which literally translates as ‘long may your chimney smoke’.

Batch 3 (UK RRSP £67.99) combines single malt whiskies from two of the most renowned whisky-producing regions in Scotland: Speyside and Islay.

Combining both peated and unpeated spirit, the limited-edition Blended Malt’s flavour profile is said to offer up “burnt sugar, cigar box, sweet spices and roasted coffee”.

Each aged single malt component was hand-selected by Walker to deliver carefully defined characteristics to the final recipe, which includes The GlenAllachie Speyside single malt Scotch whisky.

Walker, whose 50-year-long career in Scotch whisky started in blending, has developed an enviable reputation for creating some of the finest expressions on the market.

Once expertly blended, the spirit was filled to a combination of Spanish Sherry, red wine and virgin oak casks for additional ageing, allowing the whiskies time to marry and extract additional flavour attributes from the wood.

The third batch was subsequently bottled at a cask strength of 58.7% ABV, natural colour and non-chill filtered.

Owned by independent spirits firm The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, Lum Reek was the brainchild of its Master Blender, Walker.

Commenting on the latest iteration of the 10-year-old, Walker remarks:

“Lum Reek is a really special project for me, opening the door to many flavour possibilities by introducing other single malts to our GlenAllachie spirit. It’s imperative to find the perfect balance of smooth, fruity character from the Speyside malts and gentle puffs of peat smoke from the Islay whiskies.

“Batch 3 captures a harmonious mix of these styles: waves of brittle toffee, dark chocolate mocha, burnt orange peel, toasted nuts and caramelised brown sugar – a moreish delight!”

Following the addition of the 10-year-old to Lum Reek’s product portfolio, Batch 1 was crowned ‘Best in Show’ at the Las Vegas Spirits Awards 2022, while Batch 2 achieved 91 points at the International Wine & Spirits Competition 2023.

MacNair’s Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 3 will begin to hit shelves in global specialist retailers over the coming months at a UK RRSP of £67.99. Find a stockist here or buy online here.

TASTING NOTES

MacNair’s Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 3

• Colour: Intense Mahogany.
• Nose: Waves of toffee brittle, chocolate-covered raisins and caramelised brown sugar, with notes of grated ginger, cigar box and toasted cinnamon sticks.
• Taste: Intense notes of coffee and ginger, with mocha, cinnamon and grilled honeycomb, followed by smoked spices, butterscotch and orange peel.